[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 15, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-14417]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: June 15, 1994]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 300

[FRL-4894-7]

 

National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan; 
National Priorities List

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of intent to delete Yakima Plating from the National 
Priorities List Update: request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 announces 
its intent to delete the Yakima Plating Site from the National 
Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comment on this proposed 
action. The NPL constitutes appendix B to the National Oil and 
Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), which EPA 
promulgated pursuant to section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental 
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended. 
EPA and the State of Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) have 
determined that the site poses no significant threat to public health 
or the environment and, therefore, further remedial measures pursuant 
to CERCLA are not appropriate.
DATES: Comments concerning this site may be submitted on or before July 
15, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to:

    Sean Sheldrake, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Sixth Avenue, 
Mail Stop: HW-113, Seattle, Washington 98101.
    Comprehensive information on this site is available through the 
Region 10 public docket which is available for viewing at the Yakima 
Site information repositories at the following locations:

    Yakima Valley Regional Library, Attn. Cynthia Garrick, 102 N. Third 
Street, Yakima, WA 98901.
    United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 Hazardous 
Waste Division-Records Center, Attn: Lynn Williams, 1200 Sixth Avenue, 
Seattle, Washington 98101.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sean Sheldrake, U.S. EPA Region 10, 
1200 Sixth Avenue, Mail Stop: HW-113, Seattle, Washington 98101, (206) 
553-1220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
II. NPL Deletion Criteria
III. Deletion Procedures
IV. Basis of Intended Site Deletion

I. Introduction

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 announces its 
intent to delete a site from the National Priorities List (NPL), 
appendix B of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Contingency 
Plan (NCP), 40 CFR part 300, and requests comments on this deletion. 
EPA identifies sites on the NPL that appear to present a significant 
risk to human health or the environment. As described in 
Sec. 300.425(e)(3) of the NCP, sites deleted from the NPL remain 
eligible for Fund-financed remedial actions in the unlikely event that 
conditions at the site warrant such actions.
    EPA plans to delete the Yakima Plating Site at 1804 \1/2\ South 
Third Avenue, Yakima, Washington 98902, from the NPL.
    EPA will accept comments on the plan to delete this site for thirty 
days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
    Section II of this notice explains the criteria for deleting sites 
from the NPL. Section III discusses procedures that EPA is using for 
this action. Section IV discusses the Yakima Plating Site and explains 
how the site meets the deletion criteria.

II. NPL Deletion Criteria

    Section 300.425(e) of the NCP provides that releases may be deleted 
from, or recategorized on the NPL where no further response is 
appropriate. In making a determination to delete a release from the 
NPL, EPA shall consider, in consultation with the state, whether any of 
the following criteria have been met:

    (i) Responsible parties or other persons have implemented all 
appropriate response actions required;
    (ii) All appropriate Fund-financed response under CERCLA have been 
implemented, and no further action by responsible parties is 
appropriate; or
    (iii) The remedial investigation has shown that the release poses 
no significant threat to public health or the environment and, 
therefore, taking of remedial measures is not appropriate.

    Even if a site is deleted from the NPL, where hazardous substances, 
pollutants, or contaminants remain at the site above levels that allow 
for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure, EPA's policy is that a 
subsequent review of the site will be conducted at least every five 
years after the initiation of the remedial action at the site to ensure 
that the site remains protective of public health and the environment. 
In the case of this site, where plating related hazardous substances 
are not above health based levels and future access does not require 
restriction, operation and maintenance activities and five-year reviews 
will not be conducted. However, if new information becomes available 
which indicates a need for further action, EPA may initiate remedial 
actions. Whenever there is a significant release from a site deleted 
from the NPL, the site may be restored to the NPL without the 
application of the Hazard Ranking System.

III. Deletion Procedures

    The following procedures were used for the intended deletion of 
this site: (1) EPA Region 10 issued preliminary and final close out 
reports which documented the achievement of cleanup goals; (2) Ecology 
concurred with the proposed deletion decision; (3) A notice has been 
published in the local newspaper and has been distributed to 
appropriate Federal, state, and local officials and other interested 
parties announcing the commencement of a 30-day public comment period 
on EPA's notice of intent to delete; and (4) All relevant documents 
have been made available for public review in the local site 
information repositories.
    Deletion of the site from the NPL does not itself create, alter, or 
revoke any individual rights or obligations. The NPL is designed 
primarily for informational purposes to assist Agency management. As 
mentioned in Section II of this notice, 40 CFR 300.425(e)(3) states 
that deletion of a site from the NPL does not preclude eligibility for 
future Fund-financed response actions.
    For deletion of this site, EPA's Regional Office will accept and 
evaluate public comments on EPA's notice of intent to delete before 
making a final decision to delete. If necessary, the Agency will 
prepare a Responsiveness Summary if any significant public comments are 
addressed.
    A deletion occurs when the Regional Administrator places a final 
notice in the Federal Register. Generally, the NPL will reflect 
deletions in the final update following the Notice. Public notices and 
copies of the Responsiveness Summary will be made available to local 
residents by the Regional office.

IV. Basis for Intended Site Deletion

    The following site summary provides the Agency's rationale for the 
intention to delete this site from the NPL.

 A. Site Background

    Yakima Plating was an electroplating facility located within the 
southern city limits of Yakima, at 1804 1/2 South Third Avenue in 
Yakima County, Washington. The area surrounding the site is primarily 
mixed residential and light commercial property.

B. History

    The facility conducted plating operations of automobile bumpers 
from the early 1960's until 1990. During its operation, the facility 
discharged a number of plating wastes to an on-site sedimentation tank 
and drain field. These wastes contained a variety of metals including 
nickel, cadmium, and chromium.
    In 1986, an EPA site investigation found evidence of heavy metals 
in the groundwater at Yakima Plating. On March 31, 1989, the site was 
placed on the NPL.
    EPA completed the RI/FS and Human Health Risk Assessment in August, 
1991. A Record of Decision (ROD) for the site was signed on September 
30, 1991. The major components of the selected remedy included:

 Liquids and sludges that were in tanks and containers would 
be removed, treated, and disposed of off-site at a permitted RCRA 
hazardous waste facility.
 Underground tanks (sedimentation and septic tanks) would be 
excavated and decontaminated.
 Contaminated soils above cleanup levels would be excavated, 
treated, and disposed of.
 Institutional controls would be implemented.
 A groundwater monitoring program would be implemented until 
contaminant levels in all wells allowed for unlimited use and 
unrestricted exposure.

C. Characterization of Risk

    Prior to remediation, the preliminary environmental pathways of 
concern related to the plating wastes were groundwater, on-site soils 
and possibly surface water.
    To facilitate site remediation, a removal was formally initiated on 
June 15, 1992, and consisted of the following activities:

 Excavating 2,567 cubic yards of contaminated soil, gravels, 
and the drain field pipe to the cleanup levels specified in the ROD, 
followed by off-site disposal to a hazardous waste landfill.
 Excavation and removal to a hazardous waste landfill of 
three sedimentation tanks.
 Removal of three on-site buildings.
 Neutralization, and containerization of approximately 34 
drums of miscellaneous plating-derived waste for off-site disposal.

    Analytical data based on five quarters of groundwater monitoring 
following the completion of the removal indicate concentrations of 
plating related contamination do not exceed health-based criteria or 
ROD cleanup levels. Removal of soils, the source of contamination, has 
assured surface water quality as well.
    In addition, no environmental risk has been identified for this 
site. For example, no critical habitats or endangered species or 
habitats of endangered species have been identified.
    Confirmational monitoring of soil and groundwater demonstrate that 
no significant risk to public health or the environment is posed by 
residual materials remaining at the site, and operation and maintenance 
activities are not required. Based on the removal of contaminated 
equipment and excavation of contaminated soil, EPA and Ecology believe 
that hazardous substances have been removed from the site so as to 
allow for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure within the site, that 
the site is protective of public health and the environment, and that 
no further remedial action or institutional controls are needed at the 
site. Accordingly, EPA will not conduct ``five-year reviews'' at this 
site.
    One of the three criteria for deletion specifies that EPA may 
delete a site from the NPL if ``all appropriate Fund-financed response 
under CERCLA has been implemented, and no further action by responsible 
parties is appropriate.'' EPA, with concurrence of Ecology, believes 
that this criterion for deletion has been met. The groundwater and soil 
data confirm that the ROD goals have been met. It is concluded that 
there is no significant threat to public health or the environment and, 
therefore, no further remedial action is necessary. Subsequently, EPA 
is proposing deletion of this site from the NPL. Documents supporting 
this action are available from the docket.
    Dated: April 26, 1994
Jane S. Moore,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 10.
[FR Doc. 94-14417 Filed 6-14-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F